This invention relates to the manufacture of articles comprising two components which are hinged together. More particularly, it relates to such articles wherein the components have hitherto each been furnished with two, spaced-apart, substantially parallel lugs disposed so that the inwardly facing surfaces of the lugs of one component embrace and make substantial sliding contact with the outwardly facing surfaces of the lugs of the other component with a hinge pin extending through the four lugs.
Typical of such components are sheet metal pressings as used, for example, in toggle latches. Indeed, the invention was devised primarily with the manufacture of toggle latches in mind and is described hereinafter as related to that purpose, however it will be appreciated that it is applicable generally to all sheet metal components which require to be hinged together by means of co-acting pairs of lugs thereon.
A toggle latch of the kind in question comprises a mounting piece, a lever hinged upon the mounting piece and a pull link hinged upon the lever.
The mounting piece may comprise a body plate pierced by one or more holes to enable it to be secured flatly to a container wall or the like and two substantially parallel tabs or lugs projecting perpendicularly from the body plate at one end thereof.
The lever may comprise a channel-sectioned bar with projecting lugs at one end, being extensions of the channel flanges. Hitherto the body plate and the lever have been hinged together by means of a hinge pin extending through their lugs so that the lever may be swung from an unlatched position wherein the web of the channel is in the same plane as the body plate to a latched position wherein the body plate is embraced by the channel flanges.
The pull link may be a hook or a wire stirrup or yoke pivotally mounted on the lever to be moved substantially longitudinally of itself when the lever is swung from its unlatched position to its latched position. The link is adapted to engage a projection on a container lid or the like and the arrangement is such that when the lever is in said unlatched position the link is free to be engaged over or withdrawn from the projection and when the lever is swung to its latched position the link is drawn into firm engagement with the projection.
Usually the pivotal connection between the link and the lever is carried across the line of action connecting the point of contact of the link with the projection and the hinge axis of the lever with an "over-centre" or "toggle" action to keep the latch closed until the lever is manually swung into the unlatched position.
Thus prior known toggle latches have comprised four components namely the mounting piece, the lever, the hinge pin and the pull link. Furthermore, their manufacture has necessitated an assembly operation wherein the lugs on the mounting piece and lever are brought into alignment, the hinge pin is positioned through the clearance holes in the lugs and then its ends are rivetted over or otherwise conditioned to maintain it permanently in place.